Homecoming II
by sol-li
Summary: Inuyasha is left injured and sick after an unusually nasty battle with Naraku. To help him recover, Kagome brings him back through the well with her so he can have some quiet time at her house. But, of course, things go downhill from there....
1. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

x.

"Kagome!"

Kagome stopped wringing out the rag and glanced over her shoulder. Shippo and Kirara were trotting in the door of Kaede's hut. The little fox-demon was carrying a giant bucket of water, tottering along with Kirara. The little cat was carrying some rags in her mouth. "How's Inuyasha doing?" Shippo asked.

"AGGGH! DAMMIT, YOU OLD HAG, THAT HURTS!" a familiar voice roared from the next room.

"Lie still and it will not hurt ye as much," Kaede's stonily calm voice said.

"OW! OWW!"

"He's not doing so well," Kagome said, walking into the next room. "That battle with Naraku really tore him up, and he's still in bed."

As she came in, she found Inuyasha doing his best to sit up, coughing rather messily into his fist. Most of the cuts and gashes on his pale skin were closing up, but he was still weak. And whenever he got up, something always opened up. "Oh no you don't!" she said, quickly pushing him back down on the futon. "Just lie still while I clean off those cuts on your chest."

"Perhaps ye will have better luck than I," Kaede said dryly, drawing a shade over the window. "He will not stay still, no matter what I say."

Inuyasha glared balefully at the old woman as Kagome started dabbing the wet rag on his bare chest. The last battle with Naraku had been a particularly deadly one, leaving Inuyasha with diseased cuts all over his body, a very nasty (bloody) cough, and dizzy spells when he tried to move fast. He had been in even worse condition when they dragged him back, but he was still pretty bad.

"I am not sick," Inuyasha coughed.

"You ARE sick, and lie down while I put this ointment on you."

"Am not."

"Lie down, already!"

"I shouldn't even be in this hovel. I should be out there-" He coughed. "Kicking Naraku's ass. If he gets away-"

"He already GOT away, and you're not going anywhere," Kagome said firmly, shoving him back down. "Naraku can wait for now. So lie still now."

"Won't."

"Lie still or else." Kagome began cleaning off a blackened scrape on his shoulder. "You got really badly hurt, Inuyasha."

"Feh. I can get over these in a few days."

"Only if ye begin to relax, and do not overexert yourself," Kaede said firmly.

"How the hell am I supposed to relax?" Inuyasha yelled, lurching back up. Kagome pushed him back down, and pressed one of her knees to the middle of his bruised chest. "Naraku is getting away right now! How can I even think about relaxing when he -" He broke off, coughing.

"How is Inuyasha?" Miroku poked his head into the room.

"As loud and stubborn as ever," Kaede said gravely. She stepped out of the room, rubbing her chin. "I am concerned for Inuyasha. He will not relax or allow himself to heal, in his determination to hunt down Naraku. Moreover, he seems unwilling to allow himself to rest and recover in a safe location."

"Will his injuries get worse if he doesn't relax?"

"Relax?" Inuyasha shouted. "I ain't going to relax if I don't feel safe. And Naraku can-"

"Nay, not much worse. But they will heal far more slowly if he overexerts his body. He is unable to do much at this point; even walking is difficult. But if he will only rest for a few days, he will heal quickly as usual, and the poison will make its way out of his lungs and body."

"You have a point," Miroku said pensively. "Unfortunately, Inuyasha isn't the sort to simply lie down and rest when an enemy is nearby."

Kagome sighed heavily as she came back out of Inuyasha's room, listening to him yelling at Kaede and Miroku for talking about him behind his back. She had an idea of where he could relax -- but it wasn't going to be a fun experience for her, if he agreed to come.

"Um, Kaede?" she piped up. "I have an idea."

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

x.

"Go through the well?" Inuyasha asked incredulously. "So I can lie around?"

"So you can get better," Kagome said firmly, pushing him back down. "It'll just be until you're back to normal, okay? There isn't anything dangerous over there so you'll be able to relax and recover. And I'll be able to catch up on some of my schoolwork, so it works for us both. Right?"

Inuyasha coughed. "I ain't going."

"Why not? I thought you liked it there."

Inuyasha rolled over and mumbled something incoherent. Kagome poked him in the shoulder, saying, "Is this because you're afraid my mom is mad at you? Well, she isn't, for your information. She was a little upset when she found out what you did to her favorite chair, but she understood once I told her that you were just beating up a burglar."

Inuyasha peered over at her. "Really?"

"Sure. Now get your butt out of bed and get ready to go."

As she packed her backpack, Kagome sighed heavily. What had happened when Inuyasha stayed over for a week was the subject of many of Kagome's nightmares. He had managed to flood the house, break the bathroom faucet, frighten the mailman, and knock himself senseless with paint thinner. Not to mention demolish the living room when a burglar broke in. The house was a ruin by the time Kagome's mother and grandfather returned.

But then again.... he had been very nice to her during that time. They had watched romantic old movies with Sota, he had helped her clean up his messes, and he had even carried her through the house during a blackout. And when they were heading home, he had confided that he liked staying there with her, because he had never had a home of his own as a child.

Ah well, things would be easier this time. He could lie around, take it easy, and recover from his injuries. And she'd make sure Mom kept an eye on him at all times, just so he didn't get into any more trouble.

Kagome zipped her bag shut. "Come on, Inuyasha!"

x.

Inuyasha peered blearily into the well. "You sure she ain't going to send that old man after me?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Kagome said. "Hop in."

Inuyasha put an arm across her shoulders, and they leaped in together. It was a weird feeling, going through time and space -- and landing lightly on a dirt floor on the other side. Inuyasha coughed and leaned against the side of the wall for a moment, then grabbed Kagome and leapt out of the well.

Kagome let her backpack fall with a thud. "Mom? Grandpa? Sota?" she called. "We're back!"

There was no answer.

Kagome sighed and headed into the house, with Inuyasha dragging himself very slowly behind her. Her mother was cooking something in the kitchen. "Kagome!" she said, smiling. "I didn't hear you come in. Is something wrong?"

"Sort of." Kagome explained the problem with Inuyasha, and how he was still sick and weakened. And, of course, that he needed to relax and recover his strength before he could go back. Kagome left out the details, as she usually did -- the last thing she wanted was for her mother to worry too much about the dangers of the past era. But she did tell her mother that with all the dangers around them, Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to relax in the past.

Her mother looked horrified. "That's terrible, Kagome! Of course he can stay here. You should go back and fetch him now."

There was a loud, retching cough from outside.

"Actually," Kagome said, "he's right outside, listening."

Kagome's mother opened the door, and a rather sickly-looking Inuyasha walked in. "Oh dear," Kagome's mother fretted, studying his face. "You really do look sick. For that matter, you shouldn't be standing right now. Come into the living room and lie down, and I'll fix you some tea."

To Kagome's surprise, Inuyasha meekly obeyed. Either the maternal attitude had softened his resistance to being coddled, or he simply felt too ill to disobey. Kagome's mother led him into the living room, with one of her arms over his shoulders. Kagome smiled a little. Apparently it was going to be easier than she had thought.

Sota scampered in, glancing in the living room. "Hey Kagome! How come you and Inuyasha are back?" he asked.

"Inuyasha's sick," Kagome said. "He's come here to rest up for awhile."

"Cool!" Sota said. "It's just like when he came that other time!"

A racking cough was all the comment Inuyasha would give.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

x.

"Mom, I'm gonna be late," Kagome called, stuffing her textbooks into her sagging bookbag. "Where's my lunch?"

Her mother bustled out of the living room, where Inuyasha was now lying on the sofa. She picked up a paper bag from inside the fridge and gave it to Kagome. "Are you sure you can make it to school in time?" she asked, worried.

"Sure, if Sota hurries up," Kagome said, slipping into her shoes. "SOTA!"

Sota wandered into the kitchen with a wet washcloth pressed to his face. "Mom, I don't feel well... I think I got what Inuyasha has."

"Nice try, you little liar," Kagome said, snatching the washcloth away. As she dragged Sota out the door, she called over her shoulder, "Bye, Inuyasha! I'll see you this afternoon."

x.

"Kagome!"

"KAAAGOOMMEEE!"

Kagome paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Yuka... Eri... Ayumi," she said as the three girls surrounded her. "Hey, what's up?"

"The better question is, how are YOU doing?" Eri replied. "Your grandfather told us about those weird blisters all over your skin. Did they go away that fast?"

"Heh heh," Kagome giggled halfheartedly. "Yeah, they did. You know, I just woke up and they were gone."

Fifteen minutes later, Kagome found herself being pulled by her three friends into a small fast-food restaurant. Oh well, she thought. Inuyasha's probably being pampered out of his mind by Mom. And it's been a long time since I had food I didn't have to cook myself.

"So tell us, how's the boyfriend?" Yuka suddenly piped up. "Has he been bullying you again?"

"What? Who? No!" Kagome said, almost dropping her drink. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you haven't said anything about the two-timing jerk," Eri commented, studying her nails. "I mean, normally you tell us something about what he's been doing. So... spill."

"Uh, nothing much." Kagome began eating her fries as fast as she could. One of them stuck in her throat, and Ayumi quickly slapped her on the back. After she stopped coughing, Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes. "Th-things are going very well with that guy," she said finally.

"Are you sure?" Eri said suspiciously.

"Of COURSE I'm sure. He can't cause any trouble right now anyway -- he's on bedrest at my house."

"BEDREST?" Eri said. "You mean he got beaten up in a gang fight or something?"

"No!" Kagome said, exasperated. "He got sick. That's all that happened -- he got sick, so right now he's recovering. So, what did you put down for answer seven on that quiz?"

Kagome allowed herself to sigh as she went home, after escaping the clutches of her school pals. Their suspicions about her "violent, jealous, two-timing boyfriend" were the thorn in her side whenever she came back to the present. Not that telling the truth would help. "I travel back in time with a boy who has dog ears, and the reason he's sick is he was poisoned by an evil superdemon"? No, no, no...

Buyo was sunning himself on the steps when she came home. Kagome scratched his round belly, and carried him up towards the house. "Mom, I'm home!" she called. "Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha was still on the couch where she had left him that morning. He looked a little better than before. But that might have had something to do with the lavish, half-eaten meal on a tray, the cups of tea, and the lush pillows under his head. A throw blanket had been draped carefully over him from the chest down, and the TV was on. He looked like one of the less decaded Roman Emperors.

"Well," Kagome said dryly, sitting on the edge of the couch. "I can see you've had a good day. My mother doesn't even treat me like this when I'm sick."

"Hey, I ain't complainin'," Inuyasha said, chewing thoughtfully on a chopstick.

If he's thinking "why can't you be like your mother?", I'm going to sit him so hard... Kagome thought. She shook that thought out of her head. "Come on upstairs, Inuyasha."

"How come?"

"I'm putting this nicely, Inuyasha. You stink."

He stiffened. "What?"

"You smell like Naraku's vapors from that last battle. It wasn't so noticeable back in the past, but inside you really stink. So come on, and I'll start a shower for you."

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

x.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kagome asked.

"I'm fine!" Inuyasha said, backing away. He was clutching the top half of his clothes to his rather scratched-up, muscular chest, and looking terrified, as if afraid that Kagome would start yanking his clothes away without his permission.

Kagome sighed. Inuyasha had almost scalded his skin off the last time he tried to use the shower. Now he insisted that he was well enough to take a bath himself. "Okay, but if you have any problems, I'm coming in," she called.

As the sound of water running came from the bathroom, Kagome listened for any yells. No screams, she thought. He got it right this time.

As she started to walk away, the door opened and Inuyasha's hand snaked out, holding his red clothes. He dropped them on the floor, and the door shut again. Kagome wrinkled her nose. "Whew!" she said, covering the lower half of her face. "He isn't the only thing that stinks."

She picked up his clothes and quickly went to the washing machine -- apparently Inuyasha's clothes were as covered in Naraku's vapours as he was. Kagome quickly stuffed them in, poured in some detergent, and slammed the door shut. Then she wiped her forehead. "That's one problem taken care of. They should be finished by the time he's done showering," she said to herself. Besides, how often did Inuyasha's clothing really get laundered?

Feeling pleased with herself, Kagome went downstairs and immersed herself in her homework. Inuyasha would probably be in the shower for awhile, which gave her some time to herself. And when he did come downstairs, he would probably head straight for the couch and lie down.

Kagome smiled a little. She hadn't thought that her mother would be able to make Inuyasha lie down and relax. He loathed any signs of weakness in himself, so bedrest was something he would only do if he was close to death -- and sometimes not even then. But apparently he was willing to do it if he was pampered enough.

It's actually kind of... sweet... Kagome thought.

Then she started. "What am I thinking about?" she said, snatching up her book. "Okay, if x is a right angle, and y is..."

Several arduous math problems later, Grandpa poked his head in. "Kagome, I'm going to the grocery store for some food," he announced. "Can you handle things on your own until I get back?"

"Sure," Kagome said. "Where's Mom?"

"She's visiting a friend of hers," Grandpa said, picking up a shopping bag. "And where is that boy Inuyasha?"

"He's taking a shower. He smelled like those poison vapors."

"So that's what that foul smell was," Grandpa said thoughtfully. As the old man left, Kagome sighed. More math, more math, she thought ruefully. Fighting Naraku and collecting shards seemed easy by comparison right now. Even if algebra was a lot less dangerous.

She was in the middle of a baffling problem when the phone rang. It was Eri. "Hello, Kagome?" she said. "I'm having trouble with problem fifteen. What did you get on that?"

"I'm stuck on it," Kagome sighed. "I was just-"

"KAGOME!"

Inuyasha's voice blasted through the house. Kagome froze. "What was that?" Eri said, startled.

"Kagome, what the hell are you doing?"

"Wait a minute, is that destructo-man?" Eri said.

"No it's not!" Kagome said wildly, trying to shield the phone.

Inuyasha stomped down the stairs, with water streaming off his bruised body and long white hair. He was was wearing nothing but a soggy white towel, which he was holding tightly around his waist. "What the hell did you do with my clothes?!" he shouted.

"What was that?"

"It was nothing!" Kagome said desperately. She made a go-away gesture at Inuyasha.

"Get over here right now, Kagome!"

"Kagome, is something wrong?"

"I take my clothes off for a minute and suddenly you're stealing them-"

"What is going ON over there?" Eri said.

"I'll call you back!" Kagome said, slamming the phone down. She could only imagine what Eri was thinking, hearing Inuyasha yelling those things. She turned around, trying not to look as mad as she felt. "In future, when I'm talking on the phone, don't shout!" she said.

"What did you do with my clothes?!" Inuyasha repeated. "I just went in there for a little while!"

"I was WASHING them for you," Kagome said. "They needed it. Badly. Now if you come upstairs with me -- and do it quick, you're dripping on the carpet -- I'll get you some clothes until yours are dry."

Inuyasha sullenly agreed.

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

x.

"They still don't fit!" Inuyasha groused.

Kagome had to agree -- the sweatpants didn't fit Inuyasha. They were about an inch too short. Every time he yanked the waistband up over his waist, the bottoms rose over his ankles. For someone who normally didn't think about his clothes at all, it was infuriating.

"Well, your clothes won't be dry for another hour or so," she said, wringing out Inuyasha's towel as he tried to make himself comfortable in the sweatpants.

"Why not?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Because you wear a lot of clothes, and they absorb a lot of water," Kagome said. She kept her back turned while Inuyasha kept fiddling with the pants, until he got them comfortably adjusted.

"Can't I wear something else?"

"Nothing else will fit you. The only alternative is to go naked."

Inuyasha flushed openly. He sullenly followed her down into the kitchen, where Grandpa was unloading a few bags of groceries. The old man's eyes widened as he saw Inuyasha stomping down behind Kagome, bare-chested and yanking at the waistband of the sweatpants.

But before he could say anything, Kagome quickly asked, "Grandpa, how do you get funny smells out of clothes?"

The old priest thought for a moment, still flustered. "What sort of smells?" he asked slowly.

"Uh, never mind." Kagome didn't want to describe Naraku's vapors to her grandfather. Just thinking about them made her queasy. "Inuyasha's clothing got all funny-smelling, so I decided to wash them."

"And don't do that to me again!" Inuyasha suddenly said. "If ya want my clothes, just ask me! And get me something that fits first!"

"All right, all right," Kagome said hastily. "Just calm down."

Her grandfather was turning a funny color again, but after hearing Kagome's explanation he calmed down somewhat. Then he said suddenly, "Kagome, would you tell your mother that I won't be returning tonight?"

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"I've been asked to exorcise an old building that is haunted by a pair of ghosts." Grandpa looked very proud of himself -- he rarely got to exorcise anything. He had been delighted a few years before when Sota claimed there were mysterious noises above his bed. The old man's disappointment had been unbounded when it had turned out to be rats. "I will be staying with a friend of mine at his shrine when I'm finished."

Then he frowned. "But your mother is going to visit your aunt tonight... would you mind looking after Sota? Just make sure he behaves and doesn't eat too much candy...."

"Sure, I can do that," Kagome said.

As she carried the vegetables over to the fridge, Grandpa leaned over and said to Inuyasha ominously, "You behave too."

"I ain't done nothin'," Inuyasha said, equally ominously. "Besides, I'm sick."

Grandpa left after several minutes of Kagome assuring him that yes, if she needed anything at all she would call him. He was obviously uneasy about the idea of leaving her with a slightly wild half-demon and her equally unpredictable little brother. Besides, Kagome thought with a smile, Inuyasha was a boy, and Grandpa knew it.

She watched as Inuyasha walked in a rather wobbly way off to the couch. Apparently all the excitement had worn him down a little, which was good for her. The more sedate he was, the easier the next day would be for her. If she did what her mother did -- feed him and pamper him a little -- he would probably be content to stay on the couch and heal.

Well, it wasn't like she hadn't done this before. She had made it through an entire week with nobody except Sota and Inuyasha before, and had lived through it. Barely. Even so, it was only a night -- Inuyasha was too sick to make much trouble, and Kagome was sure she could handle Sota.

So why did she have this feeling of impending doom?

"I'm home!" Sota shouted, followed by a loud slam. "Mom, I'm hungry! Inuyasha?"

"Are my clothes done yet?" came a loud voice from the general area of the couch. "These damn things don't fit!"

Kagome sighed wearily. It was going to be a long day... and night.

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

x.

"Here's some money for groceries and new shoes," Kagome's mother said, handing Kagome a small roll of bills. "Be sure not to let Sota eat sweets before bed, or he'll have nightmares."

"I won't, Mom," Kagome said. She waved until the taxi had pulled out of sight, then sighed heavily. Groceries. New shoes. Could she leave Sota and Inuyasha alone for that long? Sure, Inuyasha was old enough to babysit, but he wasn't entirely used to the stuff in her house. And Sota couldn't be relied on to keep Inuyasha out of trouble.

But then again, it couldn't be helped.

"Inuyaaashaaaa!" she called, wandering into the living room. Inuyasha looked up from a magazine he was reading, mildly perturbed. "Yeh?" he asked.

"I have to go buy some groceries and shoes," Kagome said. "I was wondering if you could look after the house for me -- don't worry," she added hastily, seeing his alarm. "All you have to do is make sure the house doesn't burn down for an hour or two, and keep Sota from eating candy."

Inuyasha frowned. "I guess I can do that."

"Great!" Kagome departed feeling a bit better. After all, it was only an hour or so. And she didn't have time to do much shopping, so she better enjoy it before heading back to battle Naraku.

x.

"I'm home!" Kagome called, setting down her bags in the doorway. "Inuyasha, Sota, I hope you guys were good while I was gone!"

Suddenly Inuyasha dashed out, still dressed in just his sweatpants. He looked... excited? "Kagome!" he called, grabbing her arm and dragging her into the kitchen.

"What ha-" Then Kagome froze.

Sota was sitting at the table, which was littered with cardboard and plastic takeout boxes, cheap chopsticks, and little packets of sauce. Sota's face was covered in sauce from the Chinese takeout in front of him, and the remains of other foods were still in their boxes. Not to mention on Inuyasha's breath.

"I-I-In-Inu-" Kagome stammered.

"He got it after you left," Inuyasha said happily. "He did something with that thing on the wall-"

"Phone," Kagome said mechanically.

"Yeah, that thing. And then people brought food right to the door. We didn't even have to go out or nothin'." Inuyasha looked thrilled just at the thought. He scooped up one of the boxes from the table. "I saved some for ya."

Kagome resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. Not only had Sota and Inuyasha been pigging out on every kind of takeout food available in Tokyo, but she was pretty sure she knew where Sota had gotten the money from -- the grocery money. A flush came over her face. "Soooottaaaaa..." she said in a low voice.

Inuyasha looked uneasy. "Uh... you said not to let him have candy. This ain't candy, it's just chicken."

Sota smiled winningly and held out one of the cartons. "Rice and chicken?"

Inuyasha frowned. "Is something wrong, Kagome?"

Kagome was trying to keep her emotions in check. She didn't blame Inuyasha -- he didn't have any idea that Sota wasn't allowed to call in for food. She grabbed Sota by his shirt and dragged the sticky, protesting third-grader over to the stairs. "Eat up, Inuyasha," she said grimly. "And save some for me."

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
